What does it take to be an govt director in an organization?
For Kong, the trail began in 2001 as a waiter.
Initially from Bahau, Negeri Sembilan, Kong had been learning at Tunku Abdul Rahman Faculty when he determined to use for a job at Purple Field Karaoke at their first outlet situated in Low Yat Plaza.
Little did he know that this utility would mark the start of his two-decade-long profession within the karaoke business.
Making it within the karaoke scene
Even so, Kong knew early on that arduous work alone wouldn’t suffice if he wished to advance his profession.
With that, he dedicated himself to studying as a lot as doable concerning the business, voluntarily sacrificing his relaxation days within the first yr to immerse himself in each side of karaoke operations.
Shadowing senior employees, supervisors, and managers every time he may, Kong rapidly grew to become promoted to the place of captain after 9 months.
However his profession trajectory took a significant flip when he joined homegrown karaoke chain Loud Speaker in 2013 because the Deputy Operation Supervisor.
“Regardless of there being no quick want for an operations supervisor, I took the initiative to use, drawn by Loud Speaker’s potential to emerge as a market chief within the business,” Kong stated.
Inside a yr, he was promoted to Common Supervisor. Then in 2017, he grew to become the Chief Govt Officer earlier than subsequently serving as Govt Director.
“Reflecting on my second profession within the karaoke business, I attribute my success to traits similar to persistence, persistence, calculated risk-taking, and creativity,” he stated.
“By seizing alternatives, repeatedly studying, and daring to problem the established order, I used to be in a position to navigate the challenges and carve out a satisfying profession path within the dynamic world of karaoke leisure.”
So, then, why did he depart?
Trying to find greener pastures
Kong defined that the set off for his departure from Loud Speaker was due to COVID-19.
Like many karaoke companies in Malaysia, the corporate had taken a success, and Kong was sadly retrenched in 2021.
“Upon being retrenched on the age of 40, after twenty years within the karaoke business, I discovered myself grappling with a pivotal resolution,” he shared.
“Ought to I persist in my profession throughout the karaoke business, the place development alternatives appeared restricted after having held almost each conceivable place? Or ought to I embark on a recent journey as an entrepreneur, ranging from scratch as soon as extra?”
Since there have been fewer prospects throughout the karaoke sector, he resolved to embrace the entrepreneurial path. Supporting this resolution has been his fiancée and enterprise accomplice, Evelyn.
Naming his firm The Noob Sdn Bhd to sign their standing as newcomers, Kong got down to introduce one thing new and modern to the market.
And that providing could be Blue Hour Tea Home.
Venturing into F&B
Blue Hour Tea Home was born in June 2023 with what Kong believes is a “easy but profound” mission: to create a flexible venue appropriate for numerous gatherings, complemented by pre-ordered homestyle delicacies excellent for communal enjoyment.
Kong seen a niche out there for venues with personal rooms, sans alcohol, that supplied Muslim-friendly meals choices. He additionally recognized a necessity for a broader number of Western loose-leaf teas, given the prevalence of Chinese language tea choices out there.
Their menu options sharable dishes categorised as “one pan meal” and “one pot meal”. The dishes primarily give attention to homestyle cooking for that heartwarming contact. As for his or her beverage choice, there’s about 20 sorts of loose-leaf teas.
However in addition to that, what’s so modern about Blue Hour Tea Home?
Whereas he hadn’t precisely labored in F&B earlier than, Kong wields a long time of expertise within the karaoke business, which furnished him with beneficial and related insights. In any case, Loud Speaker additionally has F&B-related choices.
From his expertise, Kong noticed a prevailing development in direction of the utilisation of ready-to-eat (RTE) choices. Central kitchens had been usually used to deal with points similar to standardisation, supply velocity, and the shortage of skilled kitchen employees.
“Nevertheless, this development has additionally led to a proliferation of ‘uniform flavours’ out there, as many institutions depend on related merchandise sourced from suppliers,” he identified.
Thus, to discover a completely satisfied center floor of high quality meals that isn’t boring, all principal dishes at Blue Hour Tea Home have to be pre-ordered.
“This strategy permits us to optimise our crew’s association and ensures we have now ample time to arrange every dish to perfection,” Kong stated.
This strategy has allowed Blue Hour Tea Home to function with simply two everlasting employees members (Kong and Evelyn), although they do rent occasional assist.
In addition to the meals and tea, Blue Hour Tea Home’s personal rooms additionally include facilities together with sensible TVs, projectors, and residential online game consoles.
Onto new horizons
Having operated Blue Hour Tea Home for over two years now, Kong expressed that he’s dedicated to persevering with his journey as an entrepreneur, viewing it as a lifelong endeavour.
Whereas sharing his entrepreneurial insights, Kong revealed to Vulcan Publish that he’ll really be returning to his submit at Loud Speaker quickly.
Taking over the position of Govt Director as soon as extra, the 43-year-old goals to take care of a wholesome stability between his 9-to-5 along with his enterprise. He shared that his dedication to Blue Hour Tea Home will stay the identical.
Joined by Evelyn, the dynamic duo is targeted on enhancing their F&B choices whereas enhancing the services in every personal room.
The last word imaginative and prescient is to have a longtime F&B outlet with a modest setup price and streamlined day-to-day operations requiring minimal manpower. With their strategy, they goal to show that the F&B enterprise can certainly provide a wholesome work-life stability for all.
Study extra about Blue Hour Tea Home right here.
Learn different articles we’ve written about Malaysian startups right here.
Featured Picture Credit score: Blue Hour Tea Home
